Fanning strip for electrical conductors



July 12, 1966 M. B. EDELMAN FANNING STRIP FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Filed May 28, 1964 INVENTOR. MILTON B. EDELMAN 4o 40 20 BY ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 3,260,793 Patented July 12, 196 6 3,260,793 FANNING STRIP FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Milton B. Edelman, Rochester, N.Y., assignor to General Dynamics Corporation, Rochester, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 28, 1964, Ser. No. 370,952 4 Claims. (Cl. 174-135) This invention relates to a fanning strip and, more particularly, to a fanning strip used in an electrical system of distribution of the class wherein a plurality of wire conductors are distributed to terminals on a terminal block for connection identification.

Briefly, the fanning strip contemplated by this invention is preformed out of molded plastic and has an inclined surface from both edges to the center thereof. The center of the fanning strip provides a slotted perpendicular partion for supporting a plurality of various types of terminal blocks. The fanning strip is provided with a series of offset primary and secondary slots which are disposed at an oblique angle with respect to each edge of the tanning strip and which are connected together by a restricted opening. Both of the outside edges of the fanning strip have restricted openings into each of the primary slots. These restricted openings are of a size comparable to the nominal diameter of the wire conductors to be utilized therewith.

In the prior art there are many types of fanning strips, and different methods of supporting terminal blocks and segregating wire conductors for distribution to their relative terminal blocks for proper connection. The most commonly used fanning strips are provided with a series of individual holes. The proper hole must be selected and a group of wire conductors threaded through that hole which is in cooperative relationship with the proper terminals on the terminal block. This method may become diificult when many wire conductors must be threaded through the same hole, especially when the conductors become twisted and bent. This means of feeding wire conductors can be very annoying and time consuming when thousands of connections to the terminal blocks are made. Also, when trouble shooting is necessary, difiiculty is experienced in locating individual colorcoded wire conductors of the group through an individual hole of the fanning strip when the conductors become twisted.

The present invention provides a simple means for inserting or removing many wire conductors in or out of the primary or secondary slots of the fanning strip. Due to the elongated slots, the wire conductors in the group will never become twisted so that identification by color coding of individual conductors in the group is diificult. This means of fanning wire conductors to their respective terminal blocks saves considerable time and speeds up trouble shooting.

Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a continuous fanning strip with primary and secondary slots with restricted openings therein, so that the wire conductors may be snapped one at a time through these restricted openings into the primary or the secondary slots.

Another object of the present invention is to be able to group a plurality of wire conductors in an upright straight manner without twisting or bending, thereby accommodating more wire conductors per given area in the elongated slots. This line-up arrangement of wire conductors in the elongated slot provides a simple means for visual identification of color-coded conductors when connections are being made to terminals on the terminal block. Also, this is advantageous to the trouble shooter in checking continuity of circuit arrangement by color code.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fanning strip with a center portion having a key slot that runs the full length of the tanning strip to allow the assembling of grading panel type of terminal assemblies. This center portion with a key slot is of a standard width for assembling individual or multiple separators with terminals allowing rows of various terminal pile-ups to be built up.

Further objects and davantages of the "invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterizes the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a portion of a pre ferred embodiment of the fanning strip of the present invention together with typical cooperating terminal block arrangements shown in phantom; and

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 1 disclosing in detail the offset slots of the fanning strip.

In FIG. 1 of the drawing the numeral 10 indicates the general arrangement of the present invention of a fanning strip 12 and typical cooperating terminal blocks (shown in phantom) to illustrate the manner in which the fanning strip is utilized. The base surface 14 of the fanning strip 12 is provided with a recess 16 to accommodate a supporting bar (not shown) to secure fanning strip 12 to a supporting structure such as an equipment frame and which bar is also used as a mounting bar for fastening terminal block screws. An inclined surface 18 starts at each edge 20 and rises to the center portion 22. Center portion 22 of the fanning strip 12 is provided with a key slot 24 that runs throughout the length of the fan ning strip 12 and is used for inserting grading panels. Holes 26 are provided for mounting pins (not shown) for securing grading panels to fanning strip 12. Center portion 22 has a flat surface 28 with a series of mounting holes 30 for mounting individual pile-ups of rows of terminals. The inclined surface 18 (both sides) is provided with a series of offset slots 32 which are disposed at an oblique angle with respect to edges 20. These offset slots 32 are divided into groups of five by a stiffener member 34. These stiffener members 34 are also used as a marking identification for quickly locating wire conductors for connecting or for making continuity tests during trouble shooting.

As shown in detail in FIG. 2, each of offset slots 32 is composed of a primary slot 36 and a second slot 38. The primary slot has a restricted opening 40 from the outside edge 20 of the fanning strip 12, and a restricted opening 42 between the primary slot 36 and secondary slot 38. These restricted openings 40 and 42 are of a size comparable to the nominal diameter of the wire conductors utilized therewith. By providing these restricted openings 40 and 42, straight wire conductors may be snapped into the primary or secondary slots without bending or twisting and thereby form straight rows of conductors for easy color code identification.

While there has been shown and described a specific embodiment of the invention, other modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. It is not, therefore, desired that this invention be limited to the specific arrangement shown and described, and it is intended in the appended claims to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A fanning strip having at least one aperture therethrough for receiving a group of wire conductors of a given diameter, said aperture including a first restricted opening portion having one end thereof communicating with an edge of said strip, a first slotted portion having one end thereof communicating with the other end of said first restricted opening portion, the size of said first restricted opening portion being substantially equal to said given diameter, and the width of said first slotted portion being much greater than said given diameter, said aperture further including a second slotted portion offset with respect to said first slotted portion and a second restricted opening portion connecting the other end of said first slotted portion with one end of said second slotted portion, the size of said second restricted opening portion being substantially equal to said given diameter and the width of said second slotted portion being much greater than said given diameter, whereby each wire conductor in said group of Wire conductors may be snapped one at a time through said first and second restricted opening portions into said first and second slotted portions respectively.

2. The fanning strip as defined in claim 1, wherein the longitudinal axes of said first and second slotted portions are parallel to each other and form an oblique angle with said edge.

3. The fanning strip as defined in claim 2, wherein said second slotted portion is located substantially behind said first slotted portion with respect to said edge.

4. A fanning strip comprising means along a longitudinal axis thereof for receiving a terminal block, said strip including at least one set of first and second wire receiving slots for containing a group of wire conductors of a given diameter therein, said set of first and second wire receiving slots being disposed between one edge of said fanning strip and said means, said fanning strip further including first and second restricted opening portions, each of said first and second restricted opening portions having a width substantially equal to said given diameter for receiving only one of said wire conductors therethrough at a given time, one of said first and second restricted opening portions communicating with both of said first and second slots, the other one of said first and second restricted opening portions communicating with said edge and one of said first and second slots so that only a selected one of said wire conductors are transferrable, one at a time, into and out of said first and second slots, respectively for connection to said terminal block.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,921,607 1/1960 Caveney 174-72 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,224,204 2/ 1960 France.

25,896 1896 Great Britain.

OTHER REFERENCES Panel Chanel Bulletin No. 8-303, published by Stahlin Bros. Inc. of Belding, Michigan, copyright 1958, page 2.

LARAMIE E. ASKIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FANNING STRIP HAVING AT LEAST ONE APERTURE THERETHROUGH FOR RECEIVING A GROUP OF WIRE CONDUCTORS OF A GIVEN DIAMETER, SAID APERTURE INCLUDING A FIRST RESTRICTED OPENING PORTION HAVING ON END THEREOF COMMUNICATING WITH AN EDGE OF SAID STRIP, A FIRST SLOTTED PORTION HAVING ONE END THEREOF COMMUNICATING WITH THE OTHER END OF SAID FIRST RESTRICTED OPENING PORTION, THE SIZE OF SAID FIRST RESTRICTED OPENING PORTION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO SAID GIVEN DIAMETER, AND THE WIDTH OF SAID FIRST SLOTTED PORTION BEING MUCH GREATER THAN SAID GIVEN DIAMETER, SAID APERTURE FURTHER INCLUDING A SECOND SLOTTED PORTION OFFSET WITH RESPECT TO SAID FIRST SLOTTED PORTION AND A SECOND RESTRICTED OPENING PORTION CONNNECTING THE OTHER END OF SAID FIRST SLOTTED PORTION WITH ONE END OF SAID SECOND SLOTTED PORTION, THE SIZE OF SAID SECOND RESTRICTED OPENING PORTION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO SAID GIVEN DIAMETER AND THE WIDTH OF SAID SECOND SLOTTED PORTION BEING MUCH GREATER THAN SAID GIVEN DIAMETER, WHEREBY EACH WIRE CONDUCTOR IN SAID GROUP OF WIRE CONDUCTORS MAY BE SNAPPED ONE AT A TIME THROUGH SAID FIRST AND SECOND RESTRICTED OPENING PORTIONS INTO SAID FIRST AND SECOND SLOTTED PORTIONS RESPECTIVELY. 